UC Riverside to Participate in Inaugural Long Night of Arts & Innovation on October 4

The Long Night of Arts & Innovation on Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012 will showcase the best research and arts projects taking place in Riverside. UC Riverside faculty and students, as well as those from other local colleges and school districts, will participate in this event, which is free and open to the public.Photo by Carrie Rosema

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.ucr.edu) — Faculty, staff and students from the University of California, Riverside will play key roles in the City of Riverside’s “Long Night of Arts & Innovation,” a showcase of the region’s accomplishments in arts and sciences on Thursday, October 4, 2012.

The inaugural “Long Night,” which is inspired by a similar event held every two years in Riverside’s sister city of Erlangen, Germany, will be held from 6 p.m. to midnight at venues across downtown Riverside, including the UCR Culver Center, Riverside Metropolitan Museum and City Hall as well as several downtown restaurants. Faculty, staff and students from UC Riverside, as well as Riverside City College, Cal Baptist University and La Sierra University as well as area high schools will be presenting their research and sharing their expertise in a variety of subjects.

“This event is a wonderful opportunity for us to showcase the innovative research, teaching, and community outreach underway at our college – something that many of our local citizens and closest neighbors might not be aware of,” said Reza Abbaschian, dean of the Bourns College of Engineering at UCR and a member of the Long Night steering committee. “This unique event is emblematic of the special partnership our college enjoys with Riverside and it will serve to strengthen and broaden those connections.”

“UCR faculty, students and staff are really enthusiastic about presenting their passion during Riverside’s first Long Night of Arts & Innovation,” said Jackie Olds, program chair of the event and wife of UCR Medical School Dean G. Richard Olds. “Not only will this event showcase our community’s innovative arts and scientific expertise, but it will also encourage and inspire young people to pursue their own passion in these areas.”

The Long Night of Arts and Innovation will invite members of the Riverside community to learn more about the work in arts and sciences taking place in Riverside.Photo by Carrie Rosema

The Riverside Long Night event is modeled after the “Die Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften” (Long Night of Science) events that are held in cities throughout Germany. In Erlangen, the open house is held once every two years and showcases the city’s accomplishments in the arts and sciences to some 30,000 visitors to the city’s university, science and technology labs and innovation centers.

Several members of Riverside’s Sister City delegation to Erlangen, including Abbaschian, School of Medicine Dean G. Richard Olds and Riverside Mayor and UCR Professor Ron Loveridge, attended the Erlangen open house in October of 2011. Upon returning home, Loveridge formed a task force with the direction of creating a similar event here in Riverside.

UC Riverside has arranged to have two trolleys running from campus to downtown every half hour beginning at 5:30 p.m. and ending at 12:30 a.m. The trolly will pick up on campus in Parking Lot 1, near the Kiosk. The downtown stop will be at the Culver Center, near University Ave. and Main Street.

A List of Scheduled UC Riverside Participants

Timothy P. White – Chancellor

Anil Deolalikar – Economics

Panel Discussion – The Global Economy’s Impact on Higher Education

International Discussion on how the global economy has impacted higher education. In addition to White and Deolalikar, the panel will feature Greg Gray, chancellor of the Riverside City College District, Sigfried Balleis, mayor of Erlangen, Germany, Karl-Dieter Gruske, president of Friedrich-Alexander Universitat, Erlangen/Nurnberg and Andreas Falke, of the School of Business & Economics and chair of International Studies at Friedrich-Alexander Universitat. Moderated by Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge.8:30 p.m. – City Hall – Council Chamber

Bahram Mobasher – Physics and Astronomy

A Short History of Our Universe: Beginning, Present and the Future

A talk about the content and history of our universe, with answers to the most fundamental questions that the greatest minds have pondered. Presentation will feature a direct link from the Keck Telescopes in Hawaii.9:00 p.m. – UCR Culver Center Screening Room

A Night in the Life of an Astronomer

A live feed from the Keck Telescopes in Hawaii.10:30 p.m. – UCR Culver Center Screening Room

David D. Oglesby – Earth Sciences

Five Things You Need to Know About Earthquakes

The science behind earthquakes and what we can do to prepare for them.6:45 & 9:45 p.m. – UCR California Museum of Photography – Oculorium

How do Earthquakes Work?

The presentation will include demonstrations on the science behind earthquakes and earthquake detection.All night – UCR California Museum of Photography

David Kisailus – Chemical & Environmental Engineering

From Nature to Engineering: Biologically Inspired Materials

Nature produces many different and elegant structures using low temperature processing and inexpensive materials. The presentation will show how scientists use inspiration from biologically mineralized structures (teeth, bone, shells) to make the next generation of advanced materials.7:30 & 8:15 p.m. – UCR Culver Center Screening Room

Faculty and Graduate Students – Entomology

Insects and You

A variety of live and curated insect displays.All night – 9th Street & University Ave. block

G. Richard Olds, MD – School of Medicine

Kuru and Mad Cow Disease

The presentation will retell the story of how the study of a rare disease of New Guinea headhunters eventually led to the discovery of Mad Cow Disease and what these discoveries mean for the future.6:00 & 7:30 p.m. – UCR Culver Center – Atrium Gallery

Revenge of the Rainforest

Deadly viruses hide in the tropical rainforests of the world. The presentation will outline real events that demonstrate that man has more to fear from Mother Nature than from his fellow man.6:45 & 11:15 p.m. – UCR Culver Center – Atrium Gallery

Owen Long & Maria Simani – Physics and Astronomy

Demonstrations of Electromagnetic Induction

A demonstration of electromagnetic induction through 17 demonstrations.All night – 3615 and 3625 Main Street

Jodie Holt – Botany and Plant Sciences

Do You See Plants? Raising Plant Awareness through Art, Science and Media

A discussion of plants, their beauty and complexity. Holt will also discuss her work as a consultant on the movie Avatar.7:30 & 8:15 p.m. – UCR California Museum of Photography – Oculorium

Paul Lyons – School of Medicine

Eyes of a Healer: Arts in Medicine and Medical Education

The skills necessary to practice medicine are subject to much debate. Founded on science, medicine requires expertise in many skills classically found in the arts. This discussion highlights the interplay of medicine and the arts in both practice and education.7:30, 8:15, 10:30 & 11:15 p.m. – UCR Culver Center – Flex Space

Peggy Mauk & Staff Members – Agricultural Operations

Tasting of Date Fruits from Around the World

Learn why date palms like their “feet” in the water and “heads” in the fire. Sample unique date fruit from around the world and learn about UC Riverside and USDA’s cutting edge research.All night, 9th Street & 10th Street block.

Troubling Boarders

Tracy L. Kahn – Botany and Plant Sciences and Biology

UCR Citrus Variety Collection Goes Global

The presentation will discuss the history of the Citrus Variety Collection, the scope of its impact, the global connections, and products developed with inspiration from the collection.6:00, 6:45 & 7:30 p.m., City Hall Council Chamber

Michael Shroads – Graduate Student

Drag & Logged Sculptures + Noise Drawings

Presenting new sculptures based on art and aesthetic theory from computational rules found in both the natural and digital environment.All night, UCR Culver Center for the Arts Atrium

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